Dillon Endico

Meet Dillon Endico. 👋🏽

Dillon Endico paints stories. His drawings and paintings are rooted in Imaginative-Realism and stem into the world of story and wonder. His inspiration is found in nature’s beauty and rhythm, experiences that forge the humanity within us all, and tales of the past that provide lessons and knowledge for the future.

From this inspiration Dillon seeks to communicate stories that shine a light on subjects of inspiration and speak to Spirit. His hope is to provide connection to these intentions through an imaginative lens, creating worlds of wonder for us to examine and see clearly, for it is our imagination that provides us with a platform to go beyond our reality and believe in the impossible.

Follow Dillon on instagram @dillon_endic

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Dillon Endico, Annie Kyla Bennett and Jack Henry are the founders of Art Garden, gallery and plant store representing over 50 artists through rotating exhibitions, immersive installations, and community events. Annie and Jack have built Art Garden as a gathering place for those drawn to immersive art environments rooted in Earth-centered themes. Art Garden's original home was at Riverview Station in the RAD, but Hurricane Helene took everything. Now they are excited to enter a new chapter downtown Asheville at 98 N. Lexington Avenue!

Jack Henry

Meet Jack Henry. 👋🏽

Jack came to painting in 2014 after a talented circle of painter friends finally convinced him to pick up a brush. What began as encouragement quickly became a passionate dive into picture-making, ultimately landing on a deep love of oil painting—spanning portraits, landscapes, and the surreal.

With a background in Anthropology, Sociology, and Philosophy, Jack is drawn to stories that speak to the human experience, pulling from diverse cultural and historical imagery. His work reflects the influence of contemporary painters like Annie Bennett, Dillon Endico, and Emily Kell, alongside masters like Dalí, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, and visionary artist Alex Grey.

Fun Fact: Jack also does pottery! Thanks to the instructors at The Village Potters, Jack has a second obsession: wheel-thrown pottery. Alongside new paintings, expect pots, mugs, and planters from the mud as well!

“I hope to inspire within each viewer the opportunity to ask questions of themselves & others regarding who and what we are, both individually and collectively, and where we go from here. The alchemical process of painting affords abundant opportunity for insight - I can only hope that my visions can invoke new perspectives, questions, and opportunities for growth in others as they have for me.”

- Jack Henry

Follow Jack on instagram @JackHenryArt

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Jack Henry, Annie Kyla Bennett, and Dillon Endico are the founders of Art Garden, gallery and plant store representing over 50 artists through rotating exhibitions, immersive installations, and community events. Annie and Jack have built Art Garden as a gathering place for those drawn to immersive art environments rooted in Earth-centered themes. Art Garden's original home was at Riverview Station in the RAD, but Hurricane Helene took everything. Now they are excited to enter a new chapter downtown Asheville at 98 N. Lexington Avenue!

Annie Kyla Bennett

Meet Annie Kyla Bennett.👋🏽

Annie is a painter and mixed media artist whose work draws from botany, mutualism, and restorative justice— with a particular focus on the potency and character of medicinal plants. Their current studio practice centers on remediation: developing artwork that explores ways to heal and rebalance humanity’s relationship with the Earth. Part art-making space, part greenhouse, part laboratory, Annie’s studio reflects their background in chemistry and a deep obsession with plants — currently channeled into botanical ink-making and other natural art materials.

Annie teaches, and shares studio space with Art Garden Artists Jack Henry, Dillon Endico, and Trish Salmon, around the corner from Art Garden Gallery, in the studios at 25 Carolina Lane.

Fun fact: Annie grew up in rural Alaska, loves pollinators, and collects tools and seeds.

Follow Annie on instagram @AnnieKylaBee

“Weaving tales and archetypes of cultures past and present with hopes for the future, my art chart maps for reconnection with Nature and Compassion: maps to a sustainable way forward.” — Annie

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Annie Kyla Bennett, Jack Henry and Dillon Endico are the co-founders of Art Garden, gallery and plant store representing over 50 artists through rotating exhibitions, immersive installations, and community events. Annie and Jack have built Art Garden as a gathering place for those drawn to immersive art environments rooted in Earth-centered themes. Art Garden's original home was at Riverview Station in the RAD, but Hurricane Helene took everything. Now they are excited to enter a new chapter downtown Asheville at 98 N. Lexington Avenue!

Greg Vaeth

Meet Asheville-based artist, Greg Vaeth.👋🏽

Greg has lived on a small farm in Haywood County with his lovely wife, Danielle, for nearly 20 years. He works primarily in watercolor and pen/ink, with occasional acrylic, out of a home studio. His subject matter is rooted in the outdoors and Appalachian culture and history. Think: bears, Cherokee, cowboys, and the rugged, beautiful landscape.

Greg’s work is on view at locations throughout Western North Carolina and has been collected across the US, Europe, and Japan, with select pieces available in limited print runs. He takes commissions, teaches watercolor locally one to three times a year, and brings a sharp design eye to everything he makes. Greg holds an Illustration/Graphic Arts degree from Syracuse University and spent years in the t-shirt world, work that continues today through design and production for local businesses.

Fun Fact: Greg also owns and operates NCLINE Adventures where he leads guided adventures around western North Carolina.

Amy Massey

Meet Asheville-based artist, Amy Massey.

Amy Massey is a visual artist and massage therapist living in Asheville, NC.  She grew up in Pittsburgh, PA and received a BFA from Columbus College of Art & Design.  Initially, her studies were focused on photography and its ability to intimately capture the essence of a place or person.  As she honed her creative vision, she began yearning for a means to capture less material aspects of the human experience, and painting became the perfect outlet for that exploration. 

Amy’s current body of work, Portals and Passages consists of delicate, ethereal vignettes painted in watercolor & gouache on watercolor paper. This work illustrates the push and pull of emotion, intentionally using negative space to suspend fluid forms while seeking both tension and harmony in the intricate, lively relationships of line, shape and color. The resulting images are meditations on the intangible aspects of being: a flowing exploration of the complexities of growth, grief and motherhood, and the ways we must turn inward in order to nurture and expand the softest parts of ourselves.

To view Amy’s work locally, visit the Wedge Studios.

Matt Perusi

Meet Asheville-based artist, Matt Perusi.

Meet Matt Perusi, owner of Perusi Art and tattoo artist at Skeleton Crew Tattoo Company in Waynesville, NC. Inspired by doodling skulls in school, Matt pursued his passion at the Savannah College of Art and Design, earning a BFA in illustration. Now, he's your friendly neighborhood tattoo artist, blending dark and twisted with humor.

Matt believes tattoos should express individual personality, prioritizing the creation of a unique masterpiece that tells your story.

For Matt, tattooing is not just about the art but also the experience. Step into his studio, and it's like hanging out with an old friend. He envisions the process as laid-back and enjoyable, sharing stories while he works his magic. Outside the studio, Matt sketches creepy monsters and 90s throwbacks, a mix of Michael Myers, Beavis and Butthead, and Ahh Real Monsters.

Matt loves connecting with those who embrace his offbeat creativity. Ready to bring your art vision to life on your skin or decorate your walls with 90s style? Matt is the artist you’ve been looking for!

Connect with Matt

Find him on Instagram: @perusi_art

Ashley Ozmint

Meet Asheville-based artist, Ashley Stone Ozmint.

Ashley Ozmint is known for her oil landscape paintings and fine art prints that celebrate untouched land and views that shape a more thoughtful human experience.

Currently based in downtown Asheville, she works from her home studio, immersed in the mountain landscapes that surround. Ashley takes notes from the Impressionist and Tonalist movements seeking to capture emotional reactions from the landscape rather than realistic renderings

Connect with Ashley

Find her on Instagram: @ashleyozmint.art

View her work:

• Grand Bohemian Lodge • Greenville, SC

• Common Good Gallery • Boone, NC

• Nest Organics • Asheville, NC

Lindsay Anderson

Meet Marion-based artist, Lindsay Anderson.👋🏽

Lindsay hopes that each painting and illustration she creates will serve as a lens through which others may view the seemingly ordinary through the eyes of a wonderstruck child. “It is through this lens that we can remember how to let in the full spectrum of beauty rather than seeking to simplify things to their most basic form as society so often leads us to do”, she says in her artist statement.

“I believe that our connection to the earth and all of its wondrous cycles is one of the most fantastic aspects of being human and this belief naturally finds its way into almost everything I create.”

Despite possessing a four-year degree in illustration, Lindsay says that her most significant artistic development occurred post-college. This growth stemmed from living and experiencing the world through unconventional means, such as residing in an unfinished barn on a farm, embarking on solo road trips, hiking a section of the Appalachian trail, and living in a van, among other experiences. At the age of 32, Lindsay is now in the process of settling into a space where she can establish roots and explore the concept of personal growth within a community.

“Through my work, I seek to express the subtle plays of light, color, and energy found in the world around me. I see so many beautiful colors and so many magical things and I want more than anything to share that vision with others.” Lindsay Anderson, Artist Statement

Connect with Lindsay

Find her on Instagram: @FreakyTeaArt

View her work:

• Foundation Studios in the River Arts District, Asheville, NC

• Arrowhead Gallery in Old Fort, NC

• The MACA in Marion, NC

Jen Toledo

Meet Asheille-based artist, Jen Toledo.👋🏽

Jen was born in Chapel Hill, NC, and raised in the mountains of Western North Carolina. After graduating from WCU with a BFA in Fine Arts concentrating in Painting and Drawing she traveled and lived in several cities out of state and abroad before deciding to return to The Blue Ridge Mountains. She has been living and working in Asheville for the past 8 years. 

“I use both watercolor and pen and ink to create depictions of Appalachian flora and fauna, a process that creates a place of sanctuary and expression for me in a chaotic world.”

These pen and ink drawings are meant to conjure curiosity and awe for the natural wildlife in Western North Carolina. By envisioning some of the less popular, more elusive, often furry and predatory creatures and getting to know them in a moment of stillness on paper they can be seen and appreciated in a way that isn't always possible. 

To see more of Jen's work including paintings, drawings and murals go to her instagram @jentoledo.art.

Dylan Helman

Meet Dylan Helman, a Morganton, NC-based artist passionate about keeping things light and enjoying the creative ride. For now, he's perfectly content with his straightforward and honest Instagram bio, which says: "I draw stuff." 

Dylan began drawing as a child and has primarily transitioned to the digital realm, exploring many styles as diverse as his sources of inspiration. His creative fuel comes from fellow artists in the community, music, TV shows, games, beer, the beauty of nature, and, of course, the silly thoughts that dance around in his head.

"If I can make someone chuckle by looking at my work, or at least get them to think, 'that looks pretty cool', then I feel like I've accomplished something worthwhile."

Whether a meticulously detailed masterpiece or a whimsical doodle, Dylan's art is about having fun and sharing that joy with others. 

Visit Dylan at a special “Meet the Artist” event Friday September 29 at 7pm at Fonta Flora Brewery located in downtown Morgantown, where his work is on display throughout September. 

Keep up with Dylan on Instagram:

@dylan.s.helman

Justin Clark

Asheville based photographer, Justin Clark discovered his passion for making photos at an early age. “I picked up my first film camera as a teenager. I was always the kid in my group of friends with the camera, and that hasn’t changed,” says Justin.  

His work ranges from professional portraits to weddings and engagements to picturesque landscapes. Justin takes pride in making photos that allow his clients to look back on special moments in their lives, while cherishing the memories forever.

“There is nothing like a picture that has the ability to bring a smile, or tear of joy”, he says.

Keep up with Justin on Instagram:

@justin_clark_photography

@justintclark

Li Newton

Photo courtesy of Li Newton.

Asheville-based artist Li Newton uses an array of found paper collected from old books and magazines to create rich, textured pieces that beg to tell a story. 

“There is an intimacy to tearing out paper and watching a portrait or scene come to life as I build up layers. I feel closer to what I am trying to convey than ever before,” she states in her artist bio.

Her latest collage, featuring thousands of individually hand-cut pieces, testifies to her dedication to sifting meticulously through forgotten pages for the color, shape, or texture she needs to bring her vision to life.

Although mixed media collage is her primary focus, Li has explored many mediums, including pastels, silk painting, acrylics, oils, and more, dubbing herself a “Jill-of-all-Trades.”

Li is represented by Modern Wave Gallery in Asheville and Trackside 375 Gallery in Weaverville.